Recent randomised controlled trial data has provided evidence that brief, targeted, supervised, high intensity progressive resistance training plus impact loading is safe and builds bone in postmenopausal women with low to very low bone mass. The LIFTMOR protocol (reported elsewhere at this meeting), improved BMD at the lumbar spine more than previous exercise programmes, reversed kyphosis, and improved functional risk factors for falling. On the basis of those observations, a dedicated translational research facility was recently established to implement the exercise program into the ‘real world,’ along with a system of long- term monitoring.
Aim:
To describe early findings from the clinical translation of the LIFTMOR program to enhance bone mass in women at risk for osteoporotic fracture.
Methods:
All Clinic clients are research study participants and undergo a full suite of anthropometric (including bone mass) and functional tests at visit 1. Daily calcium and medications are also assessed. Although 52-week monitoring is standard Clinic practice, pilot data for clients with a minimum of 20 weeks training were recruited for ‘sneak peak’ re-testing of lumbar spine and proximal femur BMD (XR-800, Norland). Descriptive data are presented.
Results:
Six female cases are described (64.4±4.5yrs, 158.7±3.8cm, 56.6±10.3kg, LS T-score -2.18±1.5, FN T-score -2.3±1.0). None were taking osteoporosis medications and all were calcium replete (1512.5±398.5mg). Mean time to follow up was 32.2±9.0 weeks and average number of training sessions completed was 61.3±4.4. Mean BMD improvement at the LS was 7.8±4.9% and FN was 3.9±2.8%. No injuries were sustained during a combined total of 161 weeks training.
Conclusion:
Findings indicate our novel exercise programme is even more osteogenic at the clinically-relevant hip and spine in a ‘real world’ clinical population than under RCT conditions, even in the short term (~6m). Future work will examine dose-response, interaction with medications, effects on comorbid conditions, and falls.